


A Dear Friend

by SilverFox89



Series: From Then to Now [24]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Multi, amused OFC, amused neji, embarrassed Shikamaru, meeting an old friend, reminiscing friends, slightly confused Shikamaru
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-28
Updated: 2015-04-28
Packaged: 2018-03-26 06:10:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3840004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverFox89/pseuds/SilverFox89
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neji meets a friend he has seen in years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Dear Friend

**Author's Note:**

> 30 Day OTP Challenge for the Fluff Impaired Prompt #24: An old flame
> 
> Sorry that this is late. I decided to take a day for myself and just relax and get my head back on straight. I hope you all enjoy the story!

Neji had just finished turning in his report and was preparing to go find his husband when he heard someone call his name. He turned to see a young woman with short light brown curly hair that barely brushed her shoulders and lightly tanned skin waving as she approached him. She was wearing a Chūnin vest over what appeared to be a light tan short sleeve shirt and had on a pair of black tights that went to just below her knees. She wore black, finger less gloves with metal knuckles and guards across the back of her hands. She looked to be about 5'1"(quite short compared to his own 6 feet) and had dark gray eyes that were lit up with obvious happiness. A smile was stretched across her face and crinkling the outer corners of her gray eyes and suddenly Neji realized that he knew this person, very well in fact.

 

"Haruka! I did not know you were back in Konoha," Neji exclaimed in surprise. "When did you get back?"

 

"I just got back today. Just finished debriefing with Hokage-sama," Haruka said with a laugh. "And, man, is it good to be back! I've missed being home so much. I see you're as busy as ever."

 

"I imagine it would be nice being home after so many years away," Neji replied. "And not as much as I used to be. Though that may be because of the twins."

 

"Twins?" Haruka tilted her head to one side curiously. "Just what have you been up to since I've been gone?"

 

"Ah. That's right. I'm sorry, Haruka. I had forgotten that people would not be able to get very much personal information out to where you were posted," Neji said with an apologetic smile. "I'm married now. With a set of twins on the way, no less. They are due in early February but Haruno Sakura says that when it comes to multiples they could come at any point in time between now and the actual due date."

 

"Wow! Congratulations!" Haruka exclaimed excitedly. "So, who's the lucky lady?"

 

"Man, actually. I'm married to the Nara Clan Head, Nara Shikamaru, though we decided to keep our own surnames. We chose to have a surrogate carry the children," Neji said, smiling softly.

 

"Wow… I didn't see this coming. I'm definitely surprised. But then again maybe I shouldn't be. I mean, you two seemed to be pretty close when we were younger," Haruka said, her gray eyes wide. Then she smiled at Neji, "I'm so glad you're happy, though. That's what's really important. You were always so serious and stoic as a kid. You've changed a lot since then. You're eyes are much softer now."

 

Neji blinked, "My eyes?"

 

"Uh-huh! You're eyes use to be so hard and cold. They're not like that anymore. They're warm," Haruka's smile softened. She said, "married life really suits you, Neji."

 

"Thank you, Haruka. That means quite a lot coming from you since I know you have never spoken falsely to the people you consider important to you," Neji said.

 

Haruka grinned, "So! When are you going to properly introduce me to your husband? I do need to tell him what will happen to him if he ever breaks your heart. After all, that's my prerogative as your first ever friend, you know!"

 

Neji laughed, his eyes closing as he shook his head in amusement. "I don't think you have to worry about that happening. Shikamaru is a very sweet person once you get past all his defenses. He is also very protective of the people he cares about. Though it does take him a while to warm up to people he doesn't know. And it's rare that he'll show affection to his friends and family in front of people he's only just starting to get to know."

 

"Oooh! He's shy, huh?" Haruka with a knowing look.

 

"Mm, very much so. Not that I mind, though. I find it endearing."

 

"I still want to meet him. You never introduced us before we became full fledged adults," Haruka said, her hands on her hips and eyes playfully stern.

 

"My apologies, Haruka. Back then things were very hectic."

 

"Oh, I know. No need to tell me twice. I mean, with the Chūnin Exams, the Invasion, the Sandaime passing away, my training to go to the Exams held six months later, your own training to reach the rank of Jōnin, and everything else that came afterwards. Hectic doesn't really cover it, does it? The War certainly didn't help with anything," Haruka shook her head with a sadder smile, her short, curly hair bouncing with the movement. She wrinkled her nose, "and then I got posted in the island nations to help keep the peace. So it's really just been one thing after another."

 

"That reminds me. How did your assignment there go?" Neji asked.

 

"Better than I thought it would. I kept getting reassigned to the islands by the higher ups because of my personality. Apparently I have a calming effect on people. Weird, huh?" Haruka said with confused look.

 

"Calming isn't what I'd call your personality," Neji said with a smirk. "I remember a time when your personality pissed me the hell off back during our Academy years. Not to mention the fact that you followed me everywhere except to the Hyūga Clan grounds."

 

"Yeah!" Haruka laughed, her smile widening mischievously. "I stuck to you like a really stubborn burr back then. You eventually just gave up trying to get rid of me. I still consider that as my greatest triumph!"

 

Neji shook his head in amusement. "You would. You've always taken such joy from such simple things. I can understand why now, though."

 

"Ah! There you go again!" Haruka stated. Seeing Neji's confused look she said, "You're eyes went all soft again. Your husband must be a very special person if he can make you look like that just by talking about him."

 

"He is, more than words can express," Neji's said as his smile softened. His eyes warmed even more as his eyes flicked up slightly as if to look at something behind her, and he said softly, "I am very lucky to have him in my life. To be honest, it's hard to remember what my life was like before I realized how important he was to me."

 

Haruka's smile could have lit up a room when she heard that. "Now I REALLY need to meet him!"

 

"Meet who?" A male voice rasped from further behind Haruka.

 

The woman turned swiftly to look at who was approaching her and her friend. She came face to chest with a man who seemed to be nearly as tall as Neji. He was wearing a Jōnin flak vest and the black version of the usual Konoha shinobi uniform with green lined mesh armor under it - if the mesh on his arms was anything to go by. The man was carrying a clipboard in one hand and holding a small stack of papers close to his chest with the other. She looked up and guessed him to be about 5'9", give or take a few millimeters. The man had inky black hair tied back in spiky ponytail - the usual style of the Nara Clan - dark brown eyes framed by silver rimmed glasses and tanned skin that signified plenty of time spent out in the sunlight. All in all, he was a very handsome man. "Woah… Is this him, Neji? Nara Shikamaru?"

 

The man's brown eyes narrowed on her and Haruka could see the keen, razor sharp intelligence lurking in them that the glasses couldn't hide. "I could answer that question just as easily as Neji could, considering that, yes, I am Nara Shikamaru."

 

The Nara's eyes flicked up to Neji. "Should I be concerned that a strange woman I've never met knows my name?"

 

Haruka covered her mouth to stifle her laughter at the suspicious question he'd aimed at Neji, the corners of her eyes creasing in her amusement. The Nara gave her a look that was clearly asking as to whether or not she was an alien or some other strange, unidentifiable creature.

 

Neji was quick to introduce them, "Shikamaru, this is Haruka. Haruka, this is my husband, Shikamaru. Haruka is the old friend I told you a little about when we were younger but I never got the chance to introduce the two of you. Our severely conflicting schedules made it impossible to do so at the time."

 

"Oh," Haruka watched the Nara blink. "That Haruka, huh? Nice to meet you, Haruka-san."

 

Haruka smiled brightly. "It's nice to meet you too! Neji has had nothing but nice things to say about you!"

 

Haruka watched his cheeks redden in a slight blush as he blinked in surprise before looking away. "Ah… I see…"

 

Haruka started to laugh delightedly, her eyes kind and gentle as she looked up at the Nara, "I can see why Neji is so smitten with you! You're adorable, Nara-san!"

 

"O-OI!" Shikamaru's cheeks flushed bright red at Haruka's compliment.

 

Neji chuckled, "It's still a work in progress to get him to except honest compliments."

 

"I'm a guy," Shikamaru growled. "Guys are not adorable. Kids and small animals, yes. Men, no."

 

Haruka clapped her hands together, " And I beg to differ. But that aside, how about I treat the two of you to meal some day soon? The two of you can tell me all about how you got together and catch me up on everything I've missed."

 

Shikamaru canted his head to one side, clearly started by the abrupt change in topic. Neji just chuckled again. "That sounds good, Haruka. You can send a letter to the Nara Clan courier with my name on it stating the date and time."

 

"Great! Anyway, I gotta go now. Kaa-san doesn't know I'm back yet and I want to surprise her. Bye!" Haruka turned and took off down the hall. "Home here I come!"

 

"Neji?"

 

"Yes?"

 

"The hell just happened? I feel like I just met the female version of Naruto."

 

"At first glance maybe, but Haruka is very different from Naruto. As I once told you she is a very old friend of mine. Believe it or not, we even dated for a short time."

 

"You're joking," Shikamaru gave Neji a shocked look.

 

"I'm not. Haruka was my first friend ever. Even if I was very reluctant to have one. She isn't the kind of person who will ever give up, however, much like Naruto. But she doesn't trust as easily as Naruto. She's very selective of the people she'll even consider to be potentially friends with. Once she makes up her mind, however, and decides to make friends with someone, that's it, you'll never get rid of her. That is what happened to me.

 

"After I got some sense knocked into me by Naruto, I found myself appreciative of how long and stubbornly Haruka had stuck by me as a friend. Even if it was in secret. My Clan would have never approved of her, after all. And no matter how much she annoyed me at times I could have never let the Clan Elders lay hands on her or hurt her. No one who lives within Konoha has ever truly deserved their ire, after all."

 

Shikamaru nodded understandingly. "I can get that. So how did the whole dating thing start?"

 

"We both appreciated each others' looks - Haruka is, as you saw, clearly a beautiful woman - and with my change in attitude I saw her as someone that I might actually have a future with someday. In the end - though we did our best to make it work - our schedules simply conflicted too much and ultimately we decided to separate. We agreed to try again once we were older and had more time to devote to one another, but only if neither of us had found someone else whom we had fallen in love with by that time. Then, right after the War, she was stationed in the islands to help keep the peace there, you and I grew closer together - far closer than I had realized at first - and later on Naruto won that bet. You know the rest."

 

"Huh… I guess I can see the appeal…if I tilt my head and squint."

 

Neji laughed, his smile widening at Shikamaru's flat look. "She takes some getting use to."

 

"No kidding."

**Author's Note:**

> While Haruka may seem a bit like Naruto she's got her differences. Haruka's father, a former Jōnin of Konoha, died just a couple years before she joined the Academy. Her mother is a civilian that knew that trying to hold Haruka back would only hurt both of them. Haruka is a kind and caring person, but also very wary of being hurt. Once she's someones friend, however, she'll do whatever is necessary to protect them, even kill. She won't try to talk someone out of doing something bad like Naruto does, though. If you hurt the people she cares about you had better run. She's got a mean punch and an even meaner kick and isn't afraid to make an example out of someone stupid enough to attack her or her teammates.


End file.
